


Power Moves

by SherlockianSyndromes



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe, Competition, First Meetings, Gaming, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2019-08-21
Packaged: 2020-09-23 02:41:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20332705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SherlockianSyndromes/pseuds/SherlockianSyndromes
Summary: Written for the comment_fic prompt: Stargate Multiverse, Any, eSports AU.At this year's Atlantis Rising eSports tournament, it's the Transparent Stars versus the Space Marines. Which team will come out on top?





	Power Moves

“Rodney, did you hear me?”

“Sure. You said a bunch of words, right?” Rodney continued staring at his laptop, crunching numbers in a spreadsheet. In another window, he browsed different equipment builds for his favorite Atlantis Rising hero, Tes Steelbane. He heard his team captain, Daniel, sigh audibly.

“Can you please pay attention? This is our last chance for a team meeting before the finals.”

Rodney shut his laptop and glared in turn at Daniel, Carson, Radek, and Jennifer - the other members of his professional eSports team, the Transparent Stars. No one spoke.

“Well? Go on.” Rodney said.

“Like I was saying,” Daniel continued, “I just got word that we’ll be up against the Space Marines in the finals. Players are Jon O’Neill, Evan Lorne, Laura Cadman, Ronon Dex, and John -”

Rodney scoffed. “Space Marines? What do they think this is, a Doom tournament?”

“Will ya let Daniel finish, McKay?” Carson snapped.

“The Space Marines aren’t a joke. They made it this far in the tournament, so they are obviously skilled.” Radek added.

“Look,” Rodney started again, “As long as you all play support heroes, I should be able to wreck the whole lot of them with Steelbane -”

“Gentleman?” Jennifer interrupted the arguing, her voice growing loud and a little impatient. “Can we actually talk game strategy, or are we just going to fight the whole time?”

Daniel nodded. “Jennifer’s right. Rodney, I think you _should_ go with Tes, but as for the rest of us...”

~

The final match of the Atlantis Rising tournament was brutal right from the very beginning. The Space Marines got the first hero kill (against Radek, who always liked to rush in, no matter the odds) but Rodney quickly retaliated by setting off a trap and snatching up a double kill.

After that, it became the usual adrenaline-filled grind for Rodney and the rest of the team. Even though they were all in the same room and all on headsets, they still shouted at one another.

_Go top! Go mid! Go bottom! Defend the Ring of the Ancients! Creeper wave incoming!_

It all felt second nature to Rodney - heightened reflexes, no time to question or hesitate. He had to go with his gut, because at any second, the tide could turn.

Like now, as Rodney began to push down the middle lane again. Most of the lane watchtowers were now destroyed, endgame approaching quickly. Instead of shouting, the team had fallen into a tense silence, wrapped in endless mouse clicks and furious taps on keyboards.

“Out,” Jennifer finally said.

“Aye, me too. We were both in the top lane - but I ganked the hero that was after Jen, and I put up a spell that should take care of the other.” Carson added, frustration tinging his voice.

“Really?” Daniel groaned despairingly. “They just got me in the bottom lane. Can you get out of there Radek?”

Radek slammed his fists on his keyboard and swore in Czech. “No, they sniped me right as my ultimate power went off. I think I got both of them though.”

Rodney blinked. “That means it’s me and -” He glanced at the top right of the screen.

“Oh god, it’s their Wraith Queen. They’ve been harassing me all match on the mid lane.”

“This could be our chance, Rodney! Push to the Hive!” Daniel yelled.

The game only ended when either the Ring of the Ancients or the Hive Ship were destroyed by the opposing team. Right now they were both teetering on the edge of ruin.

Rodney clicked on the screen like mad, moving Tes Steelbane up the lane and anticipating a one-on-one fight with the Wraith Queen at any second. Strangely enough, the lane was empty, minus a group of straggling minions.

“I don’t know what their Queen is playing at, but I’m going for it.”

Rodney reached the end of the lane and started moving his hero up into the enemy base. And then he saw it.

All that stood between him and winning the tournament was that stupid Wraith Queen.

“Queen or Hive?”

The whole team shouted _HIVE_ right as the animation for the Wraith Queen’s ultimate power began. Rodney held his breath and took aim for the Hive Ship.

~

At least the tournament sponsors threw a decent after-party.

Rodney looked up from his game-inspired cocktail at the electronic banner scrolling _Congratulations Space Marines_ across its screen over and over again. Atlantis Rising was just a game, but it still hurt to lose and have the weight of it on your shoulders.

The rest of the Transparent Stars understood and were gracious at the awards ceremony - after all, they’d encouraged Rodney to go for the Hive Ship instead of the Wraith Queen in the end. Still, Rodney kept replaying the moment in his mind, thinking of what he could have done differently. He absently took a sip from his drink.

“Hey...you’re McKay, right? Rodney McKay?”

Rodney looked up again, and blinked a few times. The man standing in front of him had unruly black hair and incredible eyes and his smile -

“Am I wrong?”

Rodney remembered how to speak.

“Uh, yeah. Yeah, I’m Rodney. Who are you?”

The man grinned and Rodney felt himself go weak in the knees. “I’m that Wraith Queen from earlier. Name’s John Sheppard.” He held out his hand.

Rodney robotically went through the motions of shaking John’s hand. “Nice power move, Sheppard. Thought we had you there at the end,” he said, trying his best not to sound petulant.

“Hey, it took a lot of guts for you to go for the win. I respect that, and you’re one of, if not _the_ best Steelbane player out there right now.” John was still smiling.

Rodney felt himself blush. Why was this guy being so nice to him? He should have been gloating.

Then he noticed John leaning closer, and Rodney’s breath hitched in his chest.

“Do you want to get another drink and go somewhere quieter? Maybe talk shop? These parties always feel a little weird to me.”

Rodney nodded enthusiastically. Free alcohol was nice, but the bright lights and bass-heavy techno music became a little much after a while.

John laughed. “Okay. I’ll get us some water too. Meet me outside?”

As Rodney slipped out of the party and into the cool night air, he thought maybe the Space Marines weren’t so bad after all.

**Author's Note:**

> That feel when you just make up a MOBA game for the sake of fanfiction...
> 
> Thank you for reading! :)


End file.
